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THQ Nordic says it's avoiding holiday crunch by delaying Alone in the Dark reboot to March
THQ Nordic has once again delayed its Alone in the Dark reboot. The publisher said it's changing the release date to prevent developers from working long hours over the holidays to ship the game in January.
Alone in the Dark reboot delayed to the oh-so-spooky month of January
The classic survival horror series Alone in the Dark recently announced a reboot set to release in October, but it just got delayed to January. This delay isn’t for the usual reasons. The game doesn’t need more polish or anything like that. It’s simply a matter of finding an audience in the bustling gaming month of October, given the flood of titles coming next month.
‘Alone in the Dark' reboot confirmed for PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC
Today’s THQ Nordic showcase started with a bang.
New Alone in the Dark, Haunted House games in Atari's horror revival
Despite recent strife, Atari's 2014 offensive continues with upcoming reveals of new Alone in the Dark and Haunted House games. Both games are coming to PC this fall, and Atari plans to reveal them behind closed doors at next week's PAX Prime conference in Seattle. Alone in the Dark: Illumination marks the first entry in the horror series since the 2008 release, which failed to set the world alight despite its hi-tech fire physics. Illumination is in development at Pure FPS, a Californian studio with little info to go on except it holds the trademark to Rekoil, a game made by Plastic Piranha. Consider one of our eyebrows raised.
WoW Archivist: A raid exploit compendium, part 2
WoW Archivist explores the secrets of World of Warcraft's past. What did the game look like years ago? Who is etched into WoW's history? What secrets does the game still hold? If you missed last week's Archivist, I recounted some of WoW's earliest raid exploits. Guilds have been pushing for ways to make raids easier since Molten Core went live, whether for the glory of a first kill or simple convenience. This week, I'll continue our tour through this sordid side of raiding with more recent exploits. Many of them ended with suspensions. Shadow Word: World First In her heyday, Serpentshrine Cavern's Lady Vashj was considered one of the hardest raid bosses that the game had ever seen. In March 2007, more than two months since Serpentshrine went live with the release of The Burning Crusade, EU guild Nihilum posted screenshots of Vashj's loot and claimed the world-first kill. Nihilum was the dominant progression guild at the time, earning 20 world firsts throughout the expansion -- more than three times that of their closest competitor. There was only one problem: An ex-member named Lewt claimed that Nihilum exploited a bug to kill Vashj. As with Razorgore and other bosses, the mechanism seemed to revolve around that troublesome spell Divine Intervention. Using the spell despawned the pillars that are connected to Vashj's health, leaving her with 1 HP. Lewt popped a Soulstone and killed her with Shadow Word: Death. He even provided a screenshot to prove it. He also went on to badmouth the guild about exploits in Blackwing Lair, gold buying practices, and even an unlikely situation where an officer was paying the guild leader's real-life bills.
Classic game postmortems return to GDC
Last year, for the 25th anniversary of the show, GDC featured a series of "Classic Game Postmortems" on games like Pac-Man, Prince of Persia, Another World, and Marble Madness. These new looks at old games proved so popular that the show is bringing them back for the crucial 26th anniversary event.This year's set of classic games to go under the microscope includes Alone in the Dark (with designer Frederick Raynal), Fallout (with designer Tim Cain), Gauntlet (with creator Ed Logg) and Harvest Moon (with producer and former Marvelous CEO Yasuhiro Wada). Forget about all those new games! This is why we really go to conferences.
French studio Blossom Minds founded by former Eden Games designers
Blossom Minds is a new, independent French developer with a cheery chia-head logo and a desire to make "smaller games but with big production polish." The studio's first game is set to debut in 2012 through unannounced digital distribution channels. Before co-founding Blossom Minds, Jérôme Braune worked with Eden Games as a designer on open-world racer Test Drive 2 and Atari's survival-horror reboot, Alone in the Dark. Braune and nine others left Eden Games to pursue this publisher-free path, and claim that 13 years of shared experience in traditional businesses have taught them how to make "innovative game experiences for demanding gamers." In order to convey the team's spirit, the press release offers this cute quote: "We are done with AAA titles; let us bring the OOOOOOH! instead."
Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare rated for PS3 by ESRB
If a recently published ESRB rating is any indication, Sony is getting ready to re-release Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare on PS3 -- which, considering the original came out in 2001, might need a new subtitle. The rating might indicate that the game is simply being ported over as a PSOne Classic on PSN; however, ESRB ratings for such releases usually include a PSP designation, as well. Should the generally well-received horror title be remade for PS3, it would make for an interesting cross-platform hat trick -- The New Nightmare's already appeared on PS1 and PS2. We get this bad boy on the PSP, NGP and Xperia Play, and all of a sudden, we might be looking at a new PlayStation brand mascot: Gun-Couple! The couple with guns.
The Witcher coming to GOG on May 10, Alone in the Dark trilogy available now
" Your name is Geralt of Rivia and you are a witcher, that means you kill monsters for a living." Well, GOG's succinct description of your role in The Witcher should eliminate any of the misconceptions you may have conjured since the game launched on PC in 2007. You're not a guy who collects or makes witches, you're not playing a smart-mouthed Cher impersonator, and you're certainly not an interior decorator who adjusts the general witchy-ness of Rivia's less desirable estates. If you want to experience The Witcher's line of work beyond that summary, you'll have to check GOG on May 10th when the "Enhanced Edition: Director's Cut" becomes available on the download service. The action RPG will cost $4.99 from then until May 24 ($9.99 afterward) and include a glut of bonus items, such as a soundtrack, wallpapers, avatars, a digital artbook and a calendar of topless fantasy women that will absolutely be open one day when your mom walks into the room. If you're looking to use all of that in preparation for The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings, you'll be happy to learn that the sequel can import your original save file. In other monster news -- less slaying of and more running from -- GOG has just added the Alone in the Dark trilogy for $5.99. Those frightening polygonal blobs and creepy camera angles should stir up plenty of nostalgia, enough to last until GOG starts releasing over 25 additional games it claims is already in the process of being optimized and tested for the service.
Alone in the Dark 2 movie heading straight to DVD this holiday
It's been four years since Uwe Boll first graced American cinemas with his game-to-film masterpiece, Alone in the Dark. Though only acting as producer (rather than his usual directorial role), he's finally bringing the sequel to our shores this holiday with Alone in the Dark 2. Rather than waste time with those silly theaters, Alone in the Dark 2 will be heading straight to DVD, said to be coming "this Winter." You might be thinking to yourself, "I didn't even know they made a second film," like the first (and only) commenter on the movie's IMDB page did. And after checking out that page, you might be wondering how the film's main character (Edward Carnby) inexplicably changed from Christian Slater to Korean-American actor Rick Yune. We're gonna chock both up to one simple answer: Movie magic. [Via Big Download]
New Alan Wake details emerge into the cold, hard light of day
We're not quite sure how, considering the media blackout approach that Alan Wake developer Remedy Entertainment has taken, but Norwegian gaming site Gamer.no sat down for dinner with head of franchise development for Remedy, Oskari Häkkinen, this past week. New details were (unsurprisingly) scant, though we were able to glean a handful of facts from the interview. For instance, the game has, "a lot less action than Max Payne," the studio's last franchise which recently had a current-gen update announced. Aside from an emphasis on story, Mr. Häkkinen says that weather effects will play a role in gameplay, specifically noting (by way of a strange sounding Google translation from Norwegian), "Everything in the game can be influenced by the weather. If you are running the car, run conditions will be worse by heavy rain, than if the weather was good ... the weather is dynamic, since it will influence how you play the game."Furthermore, Mr. Häkkinen tells Gamer.no that, "Lighting is very important in the game, and this is a unique item that really has not been used in the game before on the way we do it." The obvious comparison here would be to last year's conceptually strong Alone in the Dark -- here's hoping Remedy can deliver on the lighting concept where Alone in the Dark more or less failed. So, we officially still know little-to-nothing! We'll keep an eye out for information at E3 2009 in June, but, ya know, we're not holding our breath or anything.[Via IGN]%Gallery-33592%
Metareview -- Alone in the Dark ... Inferno! (PS3)
Not even leaving the PS3 version of Alone in the Dark on broil for several months was enough to bake out all of the problems maligning Atari's Central Park adventure. While so far the game has escaped the bulk of scathing reviews enjoyed by its Xbox 360 and PC cousins, the re-dubbed Alone in the Dark: Inferno still left many reviewers lukewarm with tepid gameplay resting beneath the title's extra-crispy exterior. 1UP (B-): "Alone in the Dark still has problems; all the technical fixes in the world can't make up for the dopey plot, unsatisfying endings, and the ridiculous reliance on fire to kill virtually all of the game's enemies, and the new PS3 sequence basically amounts to a bonus boss encounter that isn't enough to draw in anyone who's already played the game." Game Informer (73/100): "Unfortunately, the clumsy story remains the same and I still came across the occasional glitch. But make no mistake, Inferno is the definitive version of Alone in the Dark." Eurogamer (70/100): "It's easier to forgive the problems that remain, but you still have to accept that you'll be thrown in the deep end a lot, and that a layer of polish is still absent." Play UK (70/100): "Once you end up burning Lucifer's roots in Central Park there is still the problem of the whole thing just being not very good."
Trophies: Alone in the Dark Inferno
1 Platinum3 Gold3 Silver43 Bronze Difficulty: Very Easy Online Trophies? No Time to Completion: 8 hoursDLC Trophies? No View Trophy List Read More About the Game %Gallery-3898%
Alone in the Deal of the Day
Atari's latest attempt to restart the Alone in the Dark franchise may have been disappointing at $50, but we can't help but wonder how much less disappointing it is as a $10 game. The lowered expectations that come with the price may be just the thing! If you only had enough interest in the game to justify spending that amount, chances are you've rented it already. If not, today's Amazon Deal of the Day may interest you. For today only, they've dropped the price of the Wii (and PS2) Alone in the Dark to $9.98.If cheap Atlus games are your thing, and if you have yet to hear about this, Amazon also currently has a bunch of Atlus games on sale for $19.96, including Dokapon Kingdom, Trauma Center: New Blood, and Baroque on the Wii.%Gallery-10200%
Alone in the Dark: Inferno heating up Europe November 14th
Atari has announced the European release date for their reworking of Alone in the Dark, which was released earlier in the year for just about every other console. Gaining the subtitle of Inferno, the PlayStation 3 release will debut in Europe on November 14th (US gamers will see the game on the 18th) and will contain the definitive version of the game featuring better controls, improved inventory system and an extra sequence found in one of the episodes. Still undecided about the game? Check out our hands-on impressions or try out the demo up on the PSN right now.%Gallery-3898%
Alone in the Dark gets new subtitle for PS3: Inferno
So, apparently the PS3 version of Alone in the Dark is so radically different from the 360 version, that it merits a brand new title. Eden Studios has tried its best to appease critics of the original release by taking their feedback and rolling it into this new premium PS3 edition. Alone in the Dark: Inferno, as it will be called when it finally launches on PS3, is the definitive version of the game. Not only will it have better controls, but it will even have additional gameplay in the form of an extra chapter.We have preview code waiting for us back in the US. Once we get our hands on it, you'll certainly find out if Eden Studios was successful. Trailer is embedded after the break. (You must be 18 or older to watch -- it's an M rated game, y'know.)%Gallery-3898%
Fixed Alone in the Dark gets new name for PS3
Those fixes promised for the upcoming PS3 version of Alone in the Dark are substantial. So much so that Atari and developer Eden Games have decided to rebrand their survival horror romp through Central Park with a fiery subtitle, Alone in the Dark: Inferno. Set for release on November 18, the new version aims to correct many of the annoyances found in last June's release, changes Atari notes were fuelled by media and player feedback, and not -- repeat not -- by a Edward Carnby-shaped totem set ablaze on their front lawn. Inferno's changes include "quicker and smoother" controls and 360-degree camera control, as well as a "more logical" inventory system, improved car handling and a better tip system. Atari also promises "an exclusive new sequence" in one portion of the game for more "excitement and variety." As for those of you who purchased the fettered Xbox 360 version, we're waiting to hear back from Atari if plans exist to patch that version, or if players should simply get used to watching Edward Carnby roast in a 'technically complicated' fire.
PS3 Fanboy hands-on: Alone in the Dark
During a recent Atari-sponsored hands-on event, Alone in the Dark designer Emile Morel licked his lips, opened his mouth, and closed it. He smiled and leaned back in his chair, spread his hands, then let them drop into his lap. "When the Alone in the Dark released in June, we were... we were kind of disappointed by some of the reviews," he finally said with a laugh."Disappointed" does appropriately articulate the feeling of many critics and consumers toward developer Eden Studios' action-horror title. Plagued by cumbersome controls, a camera that didn't believe in personal space, confusing inventory management, and treating the slaughter of enemies as a chore instead of a delight, Eden is approaching the PS3 release of Alone in the Dark as a second chance, an opportunity to show gamers that they care enough about their product to correct what was indisputably a painful release.
Eden 'can't promise' PS3 Alone in the Dark fixes for 360
Remember all those new features Eden is working into the PS3 release of Alone in the Dark? Oh, or how, upon announcing them, the developer also said they'd be arriving as a patch for the Xbox 360 version? Now the tune has hit a sour note, according to MTV Multiplayer.Game designer Emile Morel says that Eden is, "Trying to do a patch," but that "it's technically complicated," saying that, if anything, the control and camera fixes will be implemented; don't expect the new subway chase sequence in the PS3 release to show up. There's evidently also an issue with the actual estimated size of the patch not sitting too well with Microsoft. So now it's not only a case of if the patch will happen but when. Morel says that the decision to patch or not to patch might actually depend on the success of the PS3 version, and that the team probably won't get around to working on it until the release for Sony's machine goes gold.
Alone in the Dark gets better controls, new action scene
It looks like the PS3 version of Alone in the Dark really is getting quite a significant revamp. A number of changes have been chronicled at Gamespot, with the game's major changes coming from the controls. Edward, the game's lead protagonist is now more agile, being able to move around in a quicker less "tank-like" manner. A new camera will make things easier to see -- expect players to die less frequently on the PS3 thanks to the easier controls and improved camera.But that's not all. The innovative inventory system still returns, but players can now quickly select items with the D-Pad. Driving has also been far improved, with much more realistic suspension. Your female companion will scream directions during the much-too-confusing driving segments, assisting players greatly. Finally, the PS3 version will also get an added scene in the game's sixth act that takes place in the subway. "It involves a subway train, a large enemy, and lots of explosives--we'll say no more about it for now, for fear of spoiling it for you."Will all these changes help improve the overall experience on the PS3? We're hopeful. Expect more before the game's release in November.%Gallery-3898%
